Rat Terriers

[medxam]

I am in the market for a small, short haired, live in the house and go anywhere with me dog. A vet friend has recommended a Rat Terrier.

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with these dogs. Our family had them when I was a child 60+ years ago, but my memory of them is fuzzy.

Medxam

 

[novalty]

My brother had one from pup to rainbow bridge. Very loyal breed. He wasn't the kind to run off, and was a good companion. Very neurotic, different sounds would get him worked up as he thought he had to be in constant protection of his domain. Excellent at killing small rodents:moles, squirrels, chipmunks, and one small ground hog. Was good around kids, and generally good around other dogs. Would stand his ground--generally considered "rattitude" in the rat terrier community.

 

[sipowicz]

Just be aware that they will tell your wife everything you do.

 

[max]

I had one years and years ago when growing up. Later on we got one for my dad and mother. My mother was sick and the dog was very loyal and stayed with her. After my mom died, that little dog was my dad's constant companion and friend. After dad died, the dog went to live with my brother.
My brother has another one now and it is a fine dog. We have had Goldens for the past 30 years. If not the Goldies, it probably would have been another black and white spotted Rat Terrier.

 

[Xfuzz]

Had my old dude for 17.5 years.
He passed away last month....we was a great dog.
I still find myself lookin for him.

 

[photoman]

I had one for near 15 years. He was a real "love him, hate him" dog. LOL

Mine was very loyal to me and nobody else. Didn't like anyone touching him and even the vet was in fear of the little dynamo. Mine was a very nervous dog. They will lick you to death if you let 'em. I wouldn't trade those years with him for anything but don't think I'll ever have another small dog.

 

[belairdave]

My brother had one from pup to rainbow bridge. Very loyal breed. He wasn't the kind to run off, and was a good companion. Very neurotic, different sounds would get him worked up as he thought he had to be in constant protection of his domain. Excellent at killing small rodents:moles, squirrels, chipmunks, and one small ground hog. Was good around kids, and generally good around other dogs. Would stand his ground--generally considered "rattitude" in the rat terrier community.

They don't eat that much either so it's not like cleaning up after a middle age man... Later, Dave

 

[sipowicz]

Had my old dude for 17.5 years.
He passed away last month....we was a great dog.
I still find myself lookin for him.

Sorry about that pal. But he sure had a full long life...

 

[cass]

I am in the market for a small, short haired, live in the house and go anywhere with me dog. A vet friend has recommended a Rat Terrier.

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with these dogs. Our family had them when I was a child 60+ years ago, but my memory of them is fuzzy.

Medxam

That is the defination of a Rat Terrier. Great little dogs, wish I had one.

 

[walnutred]

I grew up with large dogs so was skeptical when my daughter wanted a rat terrier for a 4-H project. We've had the dog for 8 years and I consider it one of the best dogs that ever owned us. Catches mice, rats, birds and even hunts squirrel with me. Sleeps on your lap when your sick and follows us anywhere when your out and about.

Has some odd traits. Will pee anywhere outside but will only do #2 in a specific part of the yard we don't use anyway. Only thing she will fetch is rocks, but loves that. In the winter likes to sleep under the covers.

 

[27145]

Rat terriers are great Dogs. Most people mistake them for Jack Russell Terriers. A JRT can be a hand full. The Rat terriers are great, very mellow dog. They love to sleep under blankets with you. One word of caution, they can have allergies.

If you find one you like, look on its belly etc and check for redness. There are a lot of them in shelters, they are becoming a very popular dog. It sounds like you want one with more of a chihuahua mix. They come in toy size (most chihuahua mix) regular and "Decker" size.

I personally would recommend the regular size, they end up being around 18 lbs. With rats, they breed them with a little of this and a little of that. They can live to be 15 to 18 years old, other than some having allergies, they are pretty hearty. It sounds cruel, but avoid one with allergies, it will break the bank.
Here is a web site for you to do homework on them.

The Best Rat Terrier Site on the Web - Home

 

[shooboy]

You may want to look into the mixed breed of rat terrier and peek-a-poo, known as rat poo....... sorry, I had to do that...... Shoo

 

[smith revolver cop]

I am in the market for a small, short haired, live in the house and go anywhere with me dog. A vet friend has recommended a Rat Terrier.

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with these dogs. Our family had them when I was a child 60+ years ago, but my memory of them is fuzzy.

Medxam

I highly recommend the Boston Terrier. I believe there are several proud BT owners on the Forum... great little dogs. Probably a bit more laid-back than the Rats.

 

[Senior Citizen]

I am in the market for a small, short haired, live in the house and go anywhere with me dog. A vet friend has recommended a Rat Terrier.

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with these dogs. Our family had them when I was a child 60+ years ago, but my memory of them is fuzzy.

Medxam

XXXXXXXXXX

I've owned quite a few of them over the past 60 years. Their courage in unequaled. I have treed squirrels with them and I have also used them to bay hogs. You should see a pack of 4 of them work over a 300 pound boar hog. They are like a swarm of yellow jackets making that big hog spin and spin and spin. Truly amazing little dogs. They have a head full of brains. Learn quick. They will figure out your habits and adapt to you. Put on your bedroom slippers and they won't even get off the couch. Put on your "outside shoes" and they're at the door barking to get out. They will ride in the front seat of the truck or on the tool box they are comfortable in either place. They do tend to pick one person to latch onto though. They'll love everybody in the family, but they will be favor one person. Funny how they pick who they will love the most too.

Having said all of the above. I'd recommend a Min Pin over the rats. The min pins are considerably smarter than the rats. They have more attitude but not as much courage. They are beautiful little dogs and tend to show even more affection than the rats. I lost one to a pack of coyotes 9-11-09. Was like losing a youngun. Got one out of the pound 3 months ago. He looks like he is about 5 or 6. Smarter than the first one, but not as much attitude.

A rat will cost you about $50 and a min pin will cost you about $500. You will be pleased with either.

good luck,
SC

 

[pilgrim6a]

My friend has 2 Rat Terrorists. He says the female, Frankie, will have a home as long as he lives. Frankie has not only bit the wife's Ex-husband but also the mother-in-law.
John said it was very hard to punish the dog after the MIL biting. He handled the task by holding the dog in his lap, rubbing her belly, feeding her Puperoni and saying 'Bad Dog, Bad Dog' in a low loving voice.

 

[labworm]

My friend owns a Rottweiler, huge mean looking.

His neighbor has a rat terrier, and you guessed it, the Rotti is terrified of the rat.

 

[27145]

I have one mini and 2 regular size RT's. I would try to get them as puppies and do not get them from a pet shop (puppy mills) The 3rd on the right side is a mini and seems to have a lot of chihuahua and allergies.

 

[Rule3]

I have a long legged JR Terror. Kinda ,sorta similar. Any terrier is a hand full but are great dogs if you put in the extra time to train them well. They are very intelligent but have a mind (or several) of their own

 

[norm]

When I was a kid I had a rat terrier named Patsy. Great dog! She was an expert rat killer. She must have killed thousands in her long career and the only time she got bit was when she killed a big weasel. I would have another one in a minute.

 

[medxam]

I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments. I have made up my mind to get me a Rat Terrier however in this neck of the woods, which is inhabited my almost 65,000 or ever how many Marines, it is not a popular breed, being far out numbered by pit bulls, bull mastiffs, and any other large aggressive breed that you can think of.

I am expanding my search and hope to come up with one very soon. There is no place like this forum for honest and helpful discussions between friends.

Thanks again,

medxam

 

[Road Rat]

I always had JRT's.

Lost my last one almost 2 years ago!!! Lordy, what a fun dog...she went every where with us.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Mine is 11. He's very loyal and knows what I'm going to do before I do it. If my last wife welcomed me home from work like my dog does I'd still be married. I like him much better than people. If you get one, keep a vacuum cleaner handy.

 

[dhallz71]

Here`s my mini rat. She goes with me on the semi every day, sleeps on the jump seat while rolling. She has to check out every place we load or unload for mice. Going to have to leash her for a while at the normal dump station, there was a rattler killed there today, right where she usually sticks her nose looking for mice.

 

[BE Mike]

I highly recommend the Boston Terrier. I believe there are several proud BT owners on the Forum... great little dogs. Probably a bit more laid-back than the Rats.

I'll second this. I have a Boston now. She is my first BT and is a large size at 26 lbs. I have had other breeds of dogs, but without a doubt, this is the best dog I have ever owned. She never barks and is loyal. She won't run away. She does about 20 tricks (smart). She loves people, especially kids, and likes other animals.

All that being said, my grandparents had a Rat Terrier before I was born. I recently got some, never before seen by me, photos of them and their Rat Terrier and it looked like they adored it and it adored them. It lived more than 20 years. Looks like a great breed.

 

[haggis]

This is Wallace relaxing - i know, unusual for a rat terrorist.

He was 17 when this was taken, and he'll be 21 later this year.

These dogs don't know fear, and they are terrible estimators of size. When Wallace was 13, his "Mom' was walking him and her new Pom through the neighborhood on long leads when a neighbor's German short-haired pointer jumped their fence and attacked the group, trying to kill the Pom. Despite being on a leash, Wallace tore into the pointer (who outweighed him by 60 pounds), and shredded her haunches badly. He was so fast she couldn't touch him. She finally ran off howling back to her house. Sometimes you have to look closely to see who the big dogs really are.

Anyway, I took Wallace to the vet the next day to make sure he was all right. The vet laughed his head off when I told him the story. His reply was, "Of course he did. He's a terrier - he doesn't know how big he is, and he doesn't care!"

He's outside sunning himself right now. He's a bit more gray, and a bit more frail, but he's got a home here until he dies, along with my everlasting gratitude.

Buck

 

[smith revolver cop]

"I'll second this. I have a Boston now. She is my first BT and is a large size at 26 lbs. I have had other breeds of dogs, but without a doubt, this is the best dog I have ever owned. She never barks and is loyal. She won't run away. She does about 20 tricks (smart)."

My Boston doesn't do any tricks. Like many Bostons, she has PEOPLE to do those FOR her!

 

[watchmanjimg]

Rat Terriers are great dogs! Here's our beautiful 8-lb. Lola:

We also have these two little munchkins. They're Brussels Griffons. Absolutely great companions and watchdogs.

 

[Armyphotog]

Rat terrier? Looks like dog food for my big boys.

 

[vrd-vmd]

I am a veterinarian of 38 years. Rat Terrier are fine but tend to be that little dog that barks a lot and bites the vet. A terrier of about the same size but with a more laid back big dog personalty is the Norfolk Terrier or the Norwich Terrier. Just looking out for myself.

 

[Rule 303]

We've had a Rat Terrier for about 10 years now.
She's named "Pokydot" and she is the #1 Porch Dog.
The Oueen of the Porch dog set. She is first to alarm and arouse the big dogs. She rules the roost on the porch. Loyal and fearless. A great dog for adults. The Golden Retrivers are loyal to her and protect her from the coyotes.

Smart, Loyal, Aggressive with Unknowns and a good Home Alarm System.

Rule 303